Pneumatic vehicle tire

ABSTRACT

A pneumatic vehicle tire, in which the side walls consist of rubber material only without having strength members members embedded therein, but are reinforced by ribs on the inside of the side walls and integral therewith.

United States Patent 1191 1111 3,782,440

Depmeyer Jan. 1, 1974 PNEUMATIC VEHICLE TIRE [56] References Cited [75]inventor: Lothar Depmeyer, Garbsen, UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany1,827,668 10/1931 Musselman 152/330 3,052,274 9/1962 Lang 152/354 [73]Ass'gnee' ga'l l 973,278 10 1910 Kempshall 152/353 engese a anmver,1,836,091 12/1931 Shoemaker 152/352 Germany [22] Filed: Mar. 20, 1972Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-Robert Saifer[21] Appl' 236054 Att0rneyWalter Becker [30] Foreign ApplicationPriority Data 5 ABSTRACT Mar. 20, 1971 Germany P 21 13 627.6 A pneumaticvehicle tire, in the side walls sist of rubber material only withouthaving strength [52] :LS. (ii 152/330, 152/354, 152/357 members membersembedded therein, but are reim [5 1 C I forced b on the inside of theSide walls and inte- [58] ield of Search 152/330, 352, 353, galtherewith.

7 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PNEUMATIC VEHICLE TIRE The presentinvention relates to a pneumatic vehicle tire which below the treadstrip is provided with an annular pull-resistant reinforcing insertextending substantially over the width of the tread strip, the tirehaving at least partially non-reinforced side walls.

With heretofore known tires of this type the nonreinforced sections ofthe side walls consist exclusively of rubber or rubber-like materials.The side walls have on their inside and on their outside smooth surfaceswhich, if desired, may be provided with ornaments which, however, as faras strength is concerned have no influence on the tire side walls.

These heretofore known tires are only then safe for driving when thesections of the tire side walls which consist of rubber or the like havea sufficient strength. Under the influence of the inner pressure of thetire and under the influence of the forces inherent to the drivingoperation, the side walls must not be overly stretched in order to avoida premature destruction of the tire. It is difficult to meet thisrequirement because the thickness of the side walls cannot be selectedat will and must not exceed a certain thickness because otherwise toomuch material would have to be used and also the deformability of theside walls would be harmfully affected.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to improvepneumatic vehicle tires of the above described type by a specialconstruction of the side walls in such a way that they will have asufficient strength and flexibility while avoiding an undue accumulationof material.

This object and other objects and advantages of the invention willappear more clearly from the following specification in connection withthe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial section through a pneumatic vehicle tire accordingto the invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial view of a tire side wall as seen in the direction ofthe arrows II of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 represents a section taken along the line III- III of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 represent views of tire side walls as seen from theinside of the tire while various modifications of the reinforcing ribsaccording to the invention are shown.

FIGS. 7 and 8 respectively illustrate two further modifications of theribs inside the side walls of the tire, which ribs extend radially withregard to the tread area of the tire. According to FIG. 7 the ribs havetheir greatest cross section at the outer side wall portions, whereasaccording to FIG. 8 the ribs have their greatest cross section along themiddle sections of the side walls. According to the design of FIG. 8,additional shorter ribs are provided between each two adjacent longerribs.

FIG. 9 illustrates a modified tire of the invention according to whichthe ribs extending transverse to the circumferential direction of thetire are designed as beams of uniform resistance".

FIG. 10 illustrates a further modified tire having longer and shorterribs alternately along an inner wall thereof.

The pneumatic vehicle tire according to the present invention ischaracterized primarily in that that part of the side walls which is notreinforced by strength members, such as cords, is reinforced byreinforcing ribs. Expediently, the reinforcing ribs are so dimensionedthat the height of the ribs corresponds substantially to the wallthickness of the side walls proper.

These reinforcing ribs which are preferably provided on the innersurface, i.e., that surface of the tire side walls which faces theinterior or the hollow chamber of the tire, bring about a reinforcementof the side walls of the tire having no reinforcing strength memberswithout the danger that undesired accumulations of material occur. Theside walls are very flexible, have a satisfactory strength, and inaddition thereto heat accumulations are excluded.

If the tire side walls have a relatively great height, the reinforcingribs according to the invention are preferably so arranged that theyextend at a right angle or at an inclination to the circumferentialdirection of the tire. If, on the other hand, the tire body has arelatively flat cross section and consequently short tire side walls,the reinforcing ribs may be designed as concentric rings.

Inasmuch as the tires are anyhow pressed to shape in a vulcanizing mold,no difficulties are encountered with regard to the shaping of thereinforcing ribs according to the invention. It is also possible for theribs to select a material which has a hardness greater than the hardnessof the material from which the side walls proper are made. Thus,preferably, the material of which the ribs are made may have a hardnesswhich is greater than the hardness of the side walls proper by from 10to 20 shore-hardness-degree A.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the pneumatic vehicle tire I ofrubber or rubber-like material which in use is under an overpressure isprovided with beads 2 containing pull-resistant bead cores 3 while belowthe tread strip 4 there is provided a pull-resistant belt 5 whichextends substantially over the width of the thread strip 4. On the otherhand, the side walls consist exclusively of rubber or rubber-likematerial, in other words have no strength members embedded therein inthe form of cords or the like.

The inner sides of the tire side walls 6, in other words the surface 8which faces the hollow chamber 7, is provided with reinforcing ribsextending parallel with regard to each other, these ribs 9 beingformed-on during the molding process proper of the tire body 1. Thesereinforcing ribs 9 may consist of the same material as the tire sidewalls 6 but preferably with the difference that the hardness of the ribs9 is by 15 shore-hardness degrees A higher than the hardness of thesidewalls 6 proper.

The ribs 9 which are located substantially parallel to each other extendapproximately at a right angle to the tire circumferential direction andhave a height h which corresponds to the wall thickness s of thesidewalls 6. Moreover, the free space 10 between adjacent ribs 9 is sodimensioned that its cross section approximately equals the crosssection of the ribs 9. Preferably the ribs 9 are so designed that theirwidth decreases toward the free end of the ribs 9.

According to FIG. 4, the reinforcing ribs according to the invention areformed by parallel intercrossing ribs 9' which together with thetransverse direction of the tire form an angle a of approximately 20 to40. According to FIG. 5, the ribs 9 and 9" extend practically at a rightangle with regard to each other. The ribs 9 extending in one directionare located transverse to the circumferential direction of the tire,whereas the reinforcing ribs 9" extending in the other direction arecircumferential ribs.

According to FIG. 6, between the crossing or node points 11 there areprovided connecting ribs 12 which have the tendency to maintain themutual distance between adjacent crossing points 11. If desired, theribs 9 may also be arranged as concentric elements which means elementsextending in the circumferential direction of the tire. Moreover,different arrangements of the ribs may follow each other over the heightof the side walls 6. Thus, a distribution of the ribs may be selected,for instance, in which the arrangements of the ribs according to FIGS. 2and 4, when seen in the radial direction of the tire, follow each other.

According to FIG. 1, that diameter range along which the tire side walls6 extend is designated with the character B. The marginal areas of thisrange B are determined by the belt 5 the diameter of which is fixed andcannot be increased during the operation of the tire and the bead cores3 or the pertaining rim beads, and they are not subject to a bulging outtoward the side by the inner pressure of the tire. Since, however, theribs 9 are located in the region B and since these ribs, especially ifthey have a greater hardness or greater pressure modulus than that ofthe material of which the tire side walls 6 proper are made, have acertain stiffness, this side wall will have a considerably increasedbending resistance. To realize this goal, the ribs 9a may also have alarger cross-sectional surface toward the belt 5 as shown in FIG. 7, orthe number of the ribs may be increased toward the larger diameter ofthe side wall 6. To this end, for instance, between adjacent ribs 9b(FIG. 10) there may be provided a further additional rib 9c whichcouldalso be provided with an arrangement of the ribs 9 in conformitywith FIG. 2, be cause these ribs 9b must in the region of the largestdiameter of the tire side walls 6 be spaced from each other by adistance which is greater than the distance by which they are spacedfrom each other in that region of the side wall 6 which faces toward thebead cores 3.

According to the present invention, the reinforcing ribs 9d (FIG. 9) mayalso be so designed that they form a support of uniform or approximatelyuniform bendingj the tire side walls.

Furthermore, the ribs 9 may, in conformity with FIG. 1, decrease inheight so as to finally merge with the heads 2 and the tread strip 4 asillustrated at 13 in FIG. 1 so that the ribs, when seen from the side,have a somewhat crescent-shaped configuration.

Finally, according to FIG. 10, the ribs 9c may be designed in the formof concentric rings extending over the entire circumferential inner sidewall area.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by nomeans, limited to the particular showing in the drawing but alsocomprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A pneumatic vehicle tire including mounting beads and tire shouldersradially outwardly thereof which includes: a tread strip locatedcentrally between the tire shoulders, annular pull resistant strengthmeans arranged radially inwardly of said tread strip and extending edgeto edge approximately over the width of said tread strip, and side wallshaving at least portions free from embedded strength members, saidportions being provided with reinforcing ribs located close by to eachother with spacing relative to each other corresponding approximately torib width and located internally extending radially between respectivelybeads and as far as below only the edge of said annular pull resistantstrength means with rib height diminishing toward opposite ends in anacute manner out of the ends thereof.

2. A tire according to claim 1, in which the maximum height of said ribsapproximately equals the thickness of the thinnest side wall portion.

3. A tire according to claim 1, in which the reinforcing ribs have agreater Shore hardness than the tire side wall proper.

4. A tire according to claim 3, in which the Shore hardness of said ribsis by from IQ to 20 Shore hardness degrees greater than that of the tireside walls proper.

5. A tire according to claim 1, in which the cross section of saidreinforcing ribs varies along the length thereof.

6. A tire according to claim 1, in which the thickness of said sidewalls and of the reinforcing ribs therefor is so selected that said sidewalls together with the ribs pertaining thereto form supports ofapproximately uniform bending resistance.

7. A tire according to claim 1, in which said reinforcing ribs have acrescent contour.

i k k

1. A pneumatic vehicle tire including mounting beads and tire shouldersradially outwardly thereof which includes: a tread strip locatedcentrally between the tire shoulders, annular pull resistant strengthmeans arranged radially inwardly of said tread strip and extending edgeto edge approximately over the width of said tread strip, and side wallshaving at least portions free from embedded strength members, saidportions being provided with reinforcing ribs located close by to eachother with spacing relative to each other corresponding approximately torib width and located internally extending radially between respectivelybeads and as far as below only the edge of said annular pull resistantstrength means with rib height diminishing toward opposite ends in anacute manner out of the ends thereof.
 2. A tire according to claim 1, inwhich the maximum height of said ribs approximately equals the thicknessof the thinnest side wall portion.
 3. A tire according to claim 1, Inwhich the reinforcing ribs have a greater Shore hardness than the tireside wall proper.
 4. A tire according to claim 3, in which the Shorehardness of said ribs is by from 10 to 20 Shore hardness degrees greaterthan that of the tire side walls proper.
 5. A tire according to claim 1,in which the cross section of said reinforcing ribs varies along thelength thereof.
 6. A tire according to claim 1, in which the thicknessof said side walls and of the reinforcing ribs therefor is so selectedthat said side walls together with the ribs pertaining thereto formsupports of approximately uniform bending resistance.
 7. A tireaccording to claim 1, in which said reinforcing ribs have a crescentcontour.